Call for expressions of interest for Fair: Laboratory and project showcase
The Festival of the New European Bauhaus, 9-13 June 2026
In June 2026, the European Commission organises the third edition of the and you can be part of it! New European Bauhaus Festival The NEB Festival 2026 will among other topics address the transformative power of democratic engagement in shaping more inclusive and sustainable communities. It will highlight how empowered citizens, and local authorities can play an active role in creating their environments, with a particular emphasis on affordable housing as a cornerstone of democratic participation. In line with the NEB’s core vision, the Festival will be a space to reimagine our built environment placing first life, then spaces, and only then buildings. This inclusive and human-centric approach aims to inspire and engage individuals in embracing sustainable choices and fostering a deep connection to the New European Bauhaus movement. Fair will be an exhibition, offer NEB-like experiences and highlighting projects and prototypes that align with and support the core values of the New European Bauhaus. Immerse yourself in this electrifying atmosphere where experimentation reigns, empowering you and your peers to defy limitations and transform the path to a New European Bauhaus future.
Description of the project
The NEB goes South project was born out of a desire to respond to the call of the New European Bauhaus, with a clear focus: to rethink education to address climate challenges in a way that is more closely aligned with local realities. The initiative brings together six architecture schools from Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Croatia and Greece, which share not only environmental concerns but also a rich and diverse cultural heritage. Over the years, we have created an active network of collaboration between students, teachers, researchers, local authorities and citizens.
This involvement has enabled us to design concrete solutions to real problems, such as urban temperature rises, desertification and resource scarcity, always with attention to the identity of places and communities. More than an academic project, NEBgS has become a living lab for change. The first 6 online events which had more than 200 people in a European gathering, this sequence of events were key to the establishment of the network. The continuum was empowered through BIP’s (Blended Intensive Programs) that articulated the topics developed and discussed online with each specific territorial context. In recent events, answering new and emerging topics (climate change effects, such as wildfires and floods), the ONAC (National Observatory for Climate Change network) cycle, which began in Manteigas (PT, June 2025) and Catarroja (ES, September 2025), established a new framework to engage small municipalities to think about the future in scenarios of uncertainty. These meetings generated proposals that will be shared in programmed exhibitions and publications in Toulouse (FR, February 2026) and Zagreb (HR, June 2026).
Our ambition is clear but concrete: to reform the curricula of architecture schools, integrating pedagogical practices that link sustainability, aesthetics and inclusion. With the support of LAP LAB, we have created a solid foundation to expand this network and involve more institutions, always with a practical and collaborative approach. The project is an opportunity to show how education can be transformative when it opens to society. We want to continue building bridges between academic knowledge and people’s real needs, designing a more just, sustainable and beautiful future, starting in the classroom and directed at the streets of our cities.
Project topic/theme
NEB thematic axe(s) related to the subject of your project
- Reconnecting with nature
- Regaining a sense of belonging
- Prioritising the places and people that need it the most
Project’s link to the selected thematic axe
The project links with the axes in a practical way by reconnecting with nature, facilitated by co-lab efforts between students, teachers, and communities in response to impacts of climate change in their regions. The sense of belonging is achieved through the cultural milieu and the incorporation of its citizens within the educational framework with a set of guests and diverse stakeholders. The prioritisation of vulnerable territories and people is of central importance. The ONAC 01 cycle focus is on small municipalities in a rural setting, where curricular change impacts people’s lives. The approach enhances the accessibility of education, promote fairness, and facilitate transformative learning outcomes including all agents of change.
How does the project reflect and relate to the values and principles of the New European Bauhaus?
How does your project meet the NEB’s value of sustainability?
Sustainability constitutes an integral component of the daily functioning of the educational institutions and communities involved in the NEBgS initiative. Throughout the duration of the project, students and teachers collaborated with local authorities and members of the public to devise solutions to environmental challenges that were specific to the area, including extreme heat, water scarcity and ecosystem degradation. These reallife experiences were integrated into the solutions and are being considered as curricula, rendering the learning process more relevant to reality and more useful for the future. The promotion of practices that reuse materials, respect natural cycles and regenerate the territory is achieved through workshops, projects and cycles such as ONAC 01. The approach is reflected in the curriculum change, as evidenced by the inclusion of content on circularity, biodiversity and climate adaptation in the new study plans. These plans are consistently grounded in concrete cases, thereby ensuring a practical and applicable foundation for the study of these subjects. The notion of sustainability has evolved from a mere concept to a practical skill, imparted through experiential learning methodologies and collaborative practices.
How does your project meet the NEB’s value of inclusion?
The project is founded on the principles of inclusion as, from the outset, it has been characterised by its commitment to participation, with local communities, students from diverse backgrounds, and experts from a range of fields. The approach ensures that all voices are heard in the development of the solutions and therefore, a part of it. The ONAC 01 cycle has demonstrated the feasibility of collaborating with small municipalities and vulnerable populations, resulting in the creation of accessible and relevant proposals for the vulnerable individuals. This approach can incorporate the curricula of the participating schools as recently formulated study plans encompass participatory methodologies, fieldwork, and collaboration with local entities. Inclusion is now widely recognised as an essential practice, encompassing the concepts of active learning, engagement, and collaborative creation within participatory frameworks. By training professionals with this sensitivity, we aim at a new generation capable of designing more just, accessible, and humane spaces.
How does your project meet NEB’s value of aesthetics and quality of experience beyond functionality?
The concept of aesthetics at NEBgS encompasses not only the visual form, but also the experiential aspect, identity, and well-being. Through engagement with communities and territories, citizens area called to appreciate (and no less than) the aesthetic qualities of places, the richness of local culture, and the profound emotional bonds that individuals establish with environments. This sensitive dimension has been integrated into the events curricula, rendering teaching-learning-studying-research a more complete and more humane practice. The workshops and exhibitions promoted by the project are moments of encounter and sharing, where technical and artistic knowledge intersects. The quality of the experience is of pivotal importance as it is imperative that future professionals are equipped with the divergent knowledge useful to create spaces of study that function effectively. This new paradigm change inspires, welcomes and cares for people.
How the project reflects one or more of the NEB principles (multilevel engagement, transdisciplinary approach, participatory process).
The project is predicated on the implementation of the three NEB principles in a practical and concrete manner, thereby exerting a direct impact on the pedagogy of architecture. Transdisciplinary, experienced in two distinct settings: firstly, in the classroom environment, and secondly, in the field, where students work in collaboration with engineers, sociologists, artists, and local decision-makers to respond to real challenges. The participatory process is of central importance: the new pedagogical models were co-created with teachers, students, local authorities and citizens. The ONAC 01 cycle workshops are illustrative of the collaborative nature of teaching, engaging those who experience the problems and those who study them. The multi-level connection is facilitated by the NEBgS network, which has undergone significant expansion, growing from 6 to 14 schools. This expansion serves to link local experiences to a European vision, thereby fostering a sense of interconnectedness and shared purpose among participating institutions. As such, the curricular transformation is not an isolated phenomenon; rather, it constitutes a component of a more extensive movement that demonstrates the capacity of education to function as the catalyst for systemic change, thereby exerting a tangible influence on the lives and territories of individuals.
Project presentation and related activities
The proposal for the Festival is an immersive exhibition entitled European Framework for Pedagogical Change, which presents in a clear and accessible way the path that has been built to transform the teaching of architecture. The focus of this study is the relationship between schools, territories and communities, and the effect of this relationship on the curricula of 14 institutions (for now). Visual records such as photographs and posters and drawings will decorate the space. This approach embodies a novel pedagogical approach predicated on learning from the territory, from people, and from real challenges experienced in previous events. The prototype will be accompanied by interactive stations and digital interfaces that demonstrate how students and citizens collaborated ate he small municipalities to address issues such as extreme heat, resource scarcity, and the lack of affordable housing. The exhibition will also serve as a forum for dialogue and co-creation. Visitors (comprising citizens, students, and decision-makers) will have the opportunity to engage with the content, propose ideas, and participate in workshop simulations layering the basis for future events. The publication that accompanies the project will be launched in Zagreb as part of a satellite event and will include the results of the curriculum reform and contributions gathered during the ONAC 01 cycle. The commitment to the utilisation of sustainable materials and the minimisation of waste is in accordance with the principles of the Festival. The objective of this initiative is twofold: firstly, to grow the NEBgS community through the exhibited outcomes of our activities; and secondly, to create a living space where education meets society to design a more just, sustainable and cooperative future.
What makes your proposed project presentation and accompanying activities/programme innovative?
The project is innovative insofar as it demonstrates, in concrete terms, how education can be transformed from the reality of people and territories. The presentation at the Festival will draw attention to the curriculum reform that can ignites the NEBgS platform. This reform is based on the experiences of students, teachers, local authorities and communities thus promoting a real and palpable integration of technical, social and artistic knowledge gathered within the programmed cycles and events. This is a key feature of the project, with the aim of transcending disciplinary boundaries and aligning teaching-learning with real-world needs. Stressing the correlation between academic institutions and society we want to enhance the potential relevance, fairness and inspirational quality of spaces, thereby illustrating that curriculum modifications can be accomplished with a local impact within a continental European vision.
Communication, public participation and engagement
How do you plan to engage with the visitors? How will you actively involve the public during the event?
The objective of this initiative is to facilitate the transition of visitors into active participants. The exhibition will be designed so that any visitor, including students, citizens, and decision-makers, will be able to engage directly with the content and challenges addressed by the project. Visitors will be able to learn about the prototypes developed, and contribute with ideas and suggestions through interactive stations and moments of dialogue. Sessions such as ‘Ask the Mayor’ will be organised, where Manteigas and Catarroja representatives will share outcomes, experiences and answer questions about the workshop and activities as an empowering process. These dialogues construct a validation of the dynamics between academia, society and governing institutions, thereby rendering knowledge more closely aligned with people’s realities. Visitors will be invited to co-create proposals for new workshop cycles, drawing inspiration from the challenges faced by small municipalities. This activity underscores the capacity of teaching to address pressing concerns such as the shortage of affordable housing and the imperative of adapting to climate change. All contributions will be included in a publication and a final report, which will serve as a basis for the ongoing curriculum adaptations and policy recommendations.
Communication plan.
Our communication activities intend to engage three main groups: – Policy makers and funders interested in participatory solutions related to co-designing affordable housing and sustainable planning – The academic and professional community, which can adopt or adapt the curriculum models developed – Citizens and local communities, who are an active part of the educational process and benefit directly from the changes realising how participation is possible and actionable Before the Festival, we will use the project website and social media to publicise the objectives of the curriculum reform and the results already achieved. A press release focusing on the political and social relevance of the prototype and the new teaching model will also be distributed. During the Festival, communication will be through visual materials, interactive stations and dialogue sessions with involved participants. After the event, a report will be published with the contributions collected and recommendations for educational policies, as well as academic articles documenting the process. Success indicators (KPIs) include: number of visitors involved in the activities; number of institutions interested in adopting the curriculum models; and media coverage focused on the link between education, housing and sustainability.